Just as the memory of the last bruising battle for control of the Senate begins to fade, political handicappers are casting their gaze to the 2014 campaign when Republicans once again will try to overcome the Democratic majority.

Just as the Republicans began the 2012 campaign cycle in strong shape to reclaim the Senate, the GOP has a clear edge heading into the next face off. While some of the most intriguing political speculation today centers on whether actress Ashley Judd will run as a Democrat to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, political analysts are focusing again on the Democrats substantial vulnerabilities in retaining control of the Senate in two years.

The Democrats emerged from the 2012 election with a 55 to 45 seat advantage over the Republicans, thanks in part to President Obamas solid reelection victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney and to stupid gaffes made by GOP Senate contenders.

Rather than losing ground, as many political analysts had predicted, the Democrats were able to pick up a couple of seats.

Looking ahead to the next big battle, Democrats will once again have to scramble to retain control of the Senate as a counterweight to the Republican majority in the House. And they will have to do that without the benefit of a strong Democratic president at the top of the ticket.

The Democrats predicament stems from a combination of retirements  including those of veteran Sens. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Tom Harkin of Iowa, and changing political fortunes that leaves them on political high alert in a dozen or more states.

Funny how Akin is classified as another failed tea party guy when he was recruiter by insiders to run. Even Rove admitted his organization gave him money before the melt down. Since Akin made the comment right after the primary Rove was supporting him during the primary.

This isn’t rocket science.
Most of the Tea Party candidates that lost stepped in their own doo-doo.
At a minimum they need to listen to Rush or Dana Loesch a couple hours a week.
They called the “war on women” theme right after journ-0-list Stephanopolus pulled the trigger on it in the first Republican POTUS debate.
Somehow guys like Mourdock never got the briefing...sadly.

Significantly damaging the cause of the pro-life movement does not save any children and indeed sets it back. We need candidates who are both pro-life and have sense about how they present it. Todd Akin did not do that. We do not need him “any and all day.”

Akin was not the choice of the tea party or Palin, so no one owns him (except endorser Michelle Bachmann and the GOPe who campaigned against him in the election), the establishment came out against him after he won the primary in a 3 way split, who knows how much these republican establishment campaigns against republican nominees cost us.

Jeff Flake wasnt tea party, but was a Palin guy won.

Mourdock was a tea party/Palin guy who the establishment supported and Romney endorsed and made ads for.

Scott Brown was establishment through and through he had tea party people like me helping his campaign, but he was so harshly anti-conservative that he was kicked out of the Senate when he became a man without a base.

Summers establishment, lost.

Heather Wilson establishment, lost in a state with a Palin, Grizzly-mama Governor.

Denny Rehberg establishment guy lost.

George Allen establishment lost, again.

Josh Mandel establishment, lost.

John Raiese, establishment guy, lost.

Tommy Thompson establishment guy, lost.

Palin gave us our only bright spots, our only Senate seat pick-up with Deb Fischer, and Ted Cruz of Texas, the disaster of Mitt Romney gave us Obama, cost us the Senate, and seems to have put the GOP on the verge of splintering as he undermined their platform, and branded them in the worst way possible.

17
posted on 02/16/2013 8:35:22 PM PST
by ansel12
(Romney is a longtime supporter of homosexualizing the Boy Scouts (and the military).)

Virginia might be swingable. Perhaps the GOP can appease the guy who lost the Gov. primary to Cuccinelli (Holling? sp.) by supporting him in a Senate race.

Also, Baucus should face the wrath of MT voters as 0bamacare unfolds in all its gory details. Why do they keep electing a triad of corrupt Donkeys (Baucus, Tester, Schweitzer) in that 'red' state anyway?

21
posted on 02/16/2013 8:46:35 PM PST
by rfp1234
(Arguing with a liberal is like playing chess with a pigeon.)

Josh Mandel of Ohio was a far better choice than re-electing Sherrod Brown. The Dems ran a 24/7 negative campaign against him. I saw negatives all over the internet and they were run non-stop on tv and radio. Josh didn’t seem to do much ad campaigns - so his name wasn’t as recognizable.

To me the part about saving one unborn life is key. I don't know Mr. Akin nor do I know what is in his heart, but I do know that his incompetent campaign resulted in the loss of one of the most winnable Senate seats in 2012. It can be argued that the way he conducted his campaign become a drag on, or at least a distraction for, other Senate candidates as well as the Presidential campaign. Since the only real influence the Senate has on the abortion issue is in confirming Supreme Court nominees, it is quite likely that he contributed more to continuation of legalized abortion than to stopping it.

YES! Thad Cochran is begging to be primaried. This SOB is the traitor that wanted to vote yes on Islamo-mole Hagel. How’s the Tea Party in Mississippi looking? Can we put bad Thad on political ice? I notice Johanns is also up for reelection. Let’s stick a fork in him too.

we’re not in the same universe. i’m guessing your one of the attackers who tried to sink akin from the get go. i’m so proud i was one stood by him all the way. in fact, i did zero for romney while my main effort outside of walker and wisconsin in 2012 was to support akin when nobody else in the r-party establishment would.

just a very few assertions which i can support with hard evidence will serve to impeach your argument.

the GOP-e in missouri was and is a mess. and not only withdrew all support for akin but actively tried to destroy his campaign. in otherwords they wanted him to lose.

the big cities in missouri are very leftist. and they love mccaskill. akin had a very hard road to go.

the libertarian leftists are very big and militant in that state. they took a big chunk of grass roots support away from a God fearing conservative like akin.

nationally, conservative senate canditates did far better as a group then all of the rest GOP-e establishment candidates. so is your argument that conservatives only drag down liberal republicans while helping themselves. i’d like to hear a justification of that. the whole r party was basically dragged down by romney, who of course, instead of providing immediate aid and support as any top of the ticket candidate should have, he immediately attacked akin, along with the other GOP vampires like rove, after his clumsily worded but correct defense of the unborn.

aside from all that, imo, it is better to go down with a truely conservative, God fearing, candidate, than to win with a leftist republican in *any* election at any level. examples abound. look at damage boehner, mcarthy, or mccain, graham, kirk, murkowski, snowe, et al are doing to the nation and what is left of the r-party.

akin damaged the unborn? you think a romneyite would have helped the unborn? only twisted, leftist thinking could make that case. akin raised the issue to national attention when the GOP-e wanted to bury it. attention can only help the unborn. that is why the abortionists want to keep it secret.

and even if your case made perfect sense to me, our Lord demands that we do the right thing as He gives us the wisdom to see it. not the expedient thing given the circumstance He provides. ends are never justified by immoral means and our Lord will not support us as individuals or as a covenanted people if we compromise with evil.

Palin gave us our only bright spots, our only Senate seat pick-up with Deb Fischer, and Ted Cruz of Texas, the disaster of Mitt Romney gave us Obama, cost us the Senate, and seems to have put the GOP on the verge of splintering as he undermined their platform, and branded them in the worst way possible.

And yet, all people can harp on is Akin and Mourdock in this election and Angle and O'Donnell in the last. What ever fits the GOP establishment's agenda of misinformation. What is really sad is FReepers who willingly fall right in line. Makes one wonder just where their allegiances lie.

I like the odds for defeating the Communist Party (Dem) candidates. These seven picks are from Larry Sabato apparently — a point buried deep in the story. Makes you wonder about today’s journalists. Someone seems to be trying to take credit for someone else’s analysis.

aside from all that, imo, it is better to go down with a truely conservative, God fearing, candidate, than to win with a leftist republican in *any* election at any level. examples abound. look at damage boehner, mcarthy, or mccain, graham, kirk, murkowski, snowe, et al are doing to the nation and what is left of the r-party.

You've got to be kidding! NONE of those mentioned voted for Obamacare, which mandates that institutions provide contraceptive care even if that is against their religious tenets. ALL the Democrats voted for Obamacare.

If we had had just ONE more GOP Senator, the abomination that is Obamacare would never have passed.

When you can't have the whole loaf of bread, it's better to have half of it. At least then your children don't starve to death.

Akin and Mourdock became national poster children for the trumped up “War on Women”.

Their ineptitude impacted negatively on races all across the nation.

My allegiance lies with keeping the House and gaining the Senate in 2014. Going down with sinking candidates does little to advance those goals.

Conservatives CAN win. But they have to be smart, canny, and prepared. The GOP needs to do a much better job preparing candidates to respond to the inevitable land mines they’re going to have to negotiate.

If Todd Akin was truly a "God-fearing champion for the unborn", he would hae done the selfless act of withdrawing from the race in deference to a more viable candidate who could win and go on to champion the unborn in the Senate. He was toast the minute he made his rape comments and he only made it worse with his stubborn refusal to do the right thing by withdrawing. He was up >10% in the polls before he stepped in it.

Doesn’t matter. You can be pro life and not say stupid sh*t. Republicans need intensive bootcamp training on dealing with media questions.

Sample, “Rape? Like 50 percent of Americans I am pro life and accept mainstream pro-lifw policies. Have you asked my opponent about his support for partial birth abotions? About his advocy that taxpayers should fund abortions?’

42
posted on 02/17/2013 8:33:40 AM PST
by sgtyork
(The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage. Thucydides)

Doesn’t matter. You can be pro life and not say stupid sh*t. Republicans need intensive bootcamp training on dealing with media questions.

Sample, “Rape? Like 50 percent of Americans I am pro life and accept mainstream pro-lifw policies. Have you asked my opponent about his support for partial birth abotions? About his advocy that taxpayers should fund abortions?’

43
posted on 02/17/2013 8:33:49 AM PST
by sgtyork
(The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage. Thucydides)

What Akin said was uncalled for but his statements are brilliant when compared to what hundreds of democrats have said in the media including Harry Reid and Barack Obama.

You are taking the side of the media by circling the firing squad rather than circling the wagons. The media will ALWAYS set a trap for opposing candidates and if the trap doesn’t work they will make something up that is completely false as in what they did to Herman Cain.

You’re asking for perfection and you will never see it. You’re asking for candidates to kowtow to the media which is in fact the goal that the media has in mind for them. Therefore, you are part and parcel to the war waged by the leftist media against the right.

Look what they are doing to Cruz. You can see they are setting up Cruz for the fall:

Now Cruz has made no mistakes so far and likely he won’t make any. He is real smart. But he will be marginalized, you can bet on it.

The perspective you should consider taking is rather than comment or heckle on how less than perfect candidates should avoid falling in the traps set by leftist media, you should consider how the candidates can set traps for the media as in Dan Rather.

Another tactic is the ‘rumor’ attack. Candidates like Akin can get on the local TV shows and say “I’ve heard that [insert leftist pundit name] believes that women bodies shutdown during real rape” but in any event the number of women falsely accusing men of rape to actual rape is 22 to 1 [cite statistical source here]”. This is hearsay but it is used daily by the leftist media.

So you might single out each and every liberal mouthpiece you can think of and engineer a way of having them stick their own foot in their mouth. This is a far more productive effort than standing back in the gallery shooting peanuts at republican candidates.

When you demand that candidates avoid traps you end up getting Romney.

Stop playing defense and go on the offensive. Become an activist and go after the leftist media.

The list needs updating—it still lists Kerry as a senator. Deval Patrick (black Democrat) appointed a black Democrat crony to fill Kerry’s seat temporarily, to the applause of the media. Shortly before that, the non-black Republican governor of South Carolina appointed a black Republican Congressman, Tim Scott, to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jim DeMint, to silence from the media.

He did say they couldnt get pregnant...and Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house. I know this to be true because the media repeated it over and over.

no he didn't....and Sarah Palin said that she could see Russia from her state....even if she had said "her house" everyone on earth would call that an apparent exaggeration kind of like "he's ten feet tall and bulletproof"...everyone knows the size of Alaske and where Wasilla is....and if they don't, they are among the "uninformed" who vote just because it's Tuesday.

Doesnt matter. You can be pro life and not say stupid sh*t. Republicans need intensive bootcamp training on dealing with media questions. Sample, Rape? Like 50 percent of Americans I am pro life and accept mainstream pro-lifw policies. Have you asked my opponent about his support for partial birth abotions? About his advocy that taxpayers should fund abortions? ,p> I couldnt agree more...I agree that Murdock and Akin did not handle their situations well. That having been said, the Demorat machine jumped on both of them viciously kind of like the recent bottle of water incident following the state of the union speech....Rachel Maddow rebroadcast the incident over 100 times and the Repubs just stand there and take it.....Symboliam over substance, the liberals are famous for it and actually good at it!!

He did say they couldnt get pregnant...and Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house. I know this to be true because the media repeated it over and over.

no he didn't....and Sarah Palin said that she could see Russia from her state....even if she had said "her house" everyone on earth would call that an apparent exaggeration kind of like "he's ten feet tall and bulletproof"...everyone knows the size of Alaske and where Wasilla is....and if they don't, they are among the "uninformed" who vote just because it's Tuesday.

I thought my sarcasm was obvious with the "I know this to be true because the media repeated it over and over." Next time I'll use the /s tag.

50
posted on 02/17/2013 3:55:37 PM PST
by icwhatudo
(Low taxes and less spending in Sodom and Gomorrah is not my idea of a conservative victory)

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